


But I Loved To Read The Words You Used

by nilshki



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:27:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22190278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nilshki/pseuds/nilshki
Summary: Coffee Shop AU. Based on the prompts from the Discord:  "Eddie keeps trying to leave cute little sticky notes for the cute blonde named Buck who gets a different coffee each day - but everytime the notes somehow get picked up by someone else" and "Or maybe he keeps on trying to flirt via messages on the cups but it someone never get to Buck or he never believe it's for him" and "5 times someone else got the message + 1 time Buck did"
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 28
Kudos: 312
Collections: Buddie AU fanfics





	But I Loved To Read The Words You Used

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [xpaperheartso](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xpaperheartso/pseuds/xpaperheartso), [Didon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/didon/pseuds/didon), and [Jecari](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jecari/pseuds/Jecari) for the prompts, and huge thanks to [xpaperheartso](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xpaperheartso/pseuds/xpaperheartso) and  
> [clr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/clr/pseuds/clr) for beta reading!
> 
> Title is from "Things We Lost in the Fire" by Bastille.  
> Enjoy!

1.

Eddie was glad he wasn’t taking the blonde’s order currently, because he would have tripped over his own feet and stuttered. That man was gorgeous. 

Was it weird to flirt with a customer? Customers had flirted with him before and he’d always remained professional, either ignoring their attempts completely or politely turning them down. Eddie had never felt attracted to any of the countless faces he’d encountered on the job. That is, until this guy came along.

Shannon took his order, which was a mocha latte and one of Eddie’s favorites. He should tell him. 

He busied himself refilling the straws, watching from the corner of his eye as the drink was made, trying to plan an excuse to say something. He ultimately chickened out as the guy went to go sit on one of the armchairs in the corner. 

“Hey Eddie, can you bring that guy his coffee? Tía asked me to refill the machines.” Shannon asked. 

Eddie’s mouth went a little dry. “Um. Sure. Give it here.” He took the latte and thought fast as Shannon turned away. He grabbed a sticky note from the counter and wrote furiously. 

_Mocha’s are my favorite, good choice._ He stuck it to the side of the mug and brought it over to where the blonde was sitting. The other man was talking on the phone. “Sure, Maddie, I’ll be there at six.” He looked up and pulled away from the phone to mouth _Thanks_ before returning to his conversation. “Can’t wait to meet him.”

Eddie awkwardly set down the mug and hurried away before he embarrassed himself by just standing there gawking. The guy definitely had a girlfriend, that must be who he was talking to. That or she was setting him up with someone else and he would soon have a boyfriend. Of course Eddie wasn’t lucky enough for him to be single. 

When the guy was done, he brought his mug back up to the counter, where Shannon was working again. 

“Thanks ma’am, the mocha was really good, makes sense it’s your favorite.” Shannon looked confused but the guy walked away before she could say anything. 

Eddie put his face in his hands. Yep, that was just his luck. 

**

2.

The coffee shop around the corner from his apartment was quickly becoming Buck’s favorite place to grab a drink and do his work. It was family owned, plus there was a really cute barista with the most stunning hazel eyes and his adorable kid who hung out sometimes after school, making conversation with the customers. The kid’s name was Christopher and he’s seemed to take a liking to Buck, coming over and chatting for a few minutes every time he was there. The feeling was mutual, but Buck still hadn’t found out his dad’s name. 

Today he came over while Buck waited for his coffee.There was only one other patron in the place, a red-haired woman he recognized from the news. 

“Hey Christopher, how was school today?”

“It was good Buck! We learned the five-times table. I can do the whole thing! Do you want to hear?” Buck nodded and listened carefully as Chris enthusiastically rattled off “one times five is five, two times five is ten…”

When he was done, Buck asked. “Hey Chris, is your dad working today?” the boy nodded. “And my mom! She’s the one at the counter.” Buck’s heart fell as he looked up to see the woman who had taken his order the first time he’s been here. 

“Mommy and Daddy don’t live together though,” Chrisopher whispered. 

Buck looked at him in surprise. “Oh man. Is that hard buddy?” Christopher shook his head. “Mommy didn’t like that Daddy went to Afghanistan and Daddy didn’t like that Mommy went to California without us when Grandma was sick. They still love each other but they aren’t in love, that’s what they told me. And they love me, and we’re still a family. That’s what’s important,” said Christopher, adopting a wise tone and expression. Buck had to keep himself from laughing at the cuteness. “That _is_ the most important part. Your parents are very lucky to have a kid like you, you know that?”

Just then, the cute guy came over with his coffee. “Here you go, sir. Come on Christopher, let the man do his work.”

Christopher pouted for a split second before waving. “Bye Buck, see you later!”

“Seeya kiddo!” He smiled and took a sip of his coffee. Realized it wasn’t quite right...and noticed the sticky note on the side. _Do you like mocha eyes as much as you like mocha coffee?_ Hmm, the woman had taken his order, but he’d gone for caramel this time. 

He went over to the red-haired woman. “Hey! I’m Buck. I think we got each other’s coffee by mistake. Also, I think the barista was trying to flirt with you.”

She smiled. “I was wondering why my chocolate tasted like caramel. Hmm…mocha eyes. Cheesy, but he does have gorgeous eyes. Blue is more my type though,” she said, looking up at him from under her lashes. 

He smiled. “Would you mind if I sat with you?”

“Not at all.” She patted the chair next to her. He jogged over to get his bag and bring it over. They sat chatting about her work and his for a while, until he noticed it getting dark. 

“I’d better get home, these edits need to be in by the end of the day,” he said. 

“Well it was really nice to meet you Buck. Here’s my number, call me if you ever need...a night off.”

He grinned at her smirk. “I will, Taylor. Hey, maybe I’ll even call after my deadline tonight?” 

“That would be great.”

Well, if he couldn’t flirt with the cute barista, at least he knew he could still get some. 

**

3.

This was hopeless. Eddie should just talk to the guy, instead of using notes that seemed to keep ending up in miscommunication. He hadn’t missed how that Taylor chick had used _his_ come on to pick up Buck. He hadn’t seen her around again, but that didn’t mean they weren’t together. Which would really suck. 

And today. _God_. Today was just embarrassing. His friend Hen, who worked in publishing, had swung by in the morning. Apparently she knew Buck and the two of them had come in together before work. Buck had ordered something different, like he did every day. Today it was peppermint hot chocolate. He’d commented, “a little early in the season for Christmas spirit isn’t it?” And Buck had given him a charming smile, replying, “it’s never too early for Christmas.” Eddie’s heart had skipped a beat at that smile and his brain went blank. 

Which was the only explanation for the note he’d written on the cup. The cup that turned out to be _Hen’s coffee_. 

Buck had already left when Hen turned to Eddie and said, “Um, Eds, you know I’m married, right?” He’d looked at her, baffled, until she turned her cup to show him. _I’d like to unwrap you for Christmas._

He went bright red, he knew. She’d laughed. 

“I know you were trying to flirt with Buck, but that’s the best you could come up with? It’s a little forward. Find your chill, Eddie.”

Problem was, when it came to Buck, he had none. 

**

4.

Buck ran into the coffee shop, knowing he was late for work. Hen was going to kill him. 

And of course, it was Eddie who took his order today. He didn’t even have time to flirt. “Can I please have a large coffee with milk and sugar. Largest you have.”

Eddie looked at him with amused concern. “Long night?” he asked as he started the coffee. Buck sighed. “Barely slept, had to finish the edits for my meeting this morning. Which I am late for, of course.”

“Excuse me, can I get the same?” A pretty blonde woman behind him came to stand next to him at the counter. “Sorry, I just figured it would be easier to make them both at the same time,” she apologized to Eddie.

“Not a problem. Two bucks from both of you please,” he replied. 

Buck dug two dollars out of his wallet, set it on the counter, and grabbed one of the cups. He dashed out and only noticed the writing on the side as he left the store. The woman came out right behind him and he stopped her. “Um, I think this cup was meant for you,” he said. He showed her the words. _Is it true blondes have more fun? ;)_

She looked surprised. “What makes you think it wasn’t for you?”

He shrugged. “You’re blonder than I am. Also he’s never flirted with me before and I come here a lot. He’s either straight or not into me.”

She looked at him with a raised brow. “If you say so...anyway you said you were late. Just take that one, don’t worry about it. I’m not interested anyway.”

“Okay, sure, have a good day…?”

“Ali. I’m Ali.” 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Buck. And, shit, I gotta run. See you around Ali!”

She seemed nice. She was no Eddie though. 

**

5.

Eddie was incredibly frustrated. He’d outright handed a cup to Buck with the message on it. Only for Ali to come back in and ask if it had been meant for her? Because she was flattered but not interested, and thought he’d been flirting with Buck before that anyway. 

He’d sighed and buried his face in his hands. “Yeah, no, that was meant for Buck. Apparently he’s either oblivious or not interested.”

She smiled comfortingly. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. By the way, this is an awesome place, I’ll definitely be back. If only to watch you two dance around each other!”

Well at least his bumbling was leading to increased business. 

Today, Buck was sitting at one of the tables with a man and a woman that Eddie didn’t recognize. He brought over the coffees and sandwiches they had ordered for lunch. Buck had ordered a chai latte today. 

_Yes, because that’s a super important tidbit of information to notice, Eddie. Like how you know he ordered the Mexican hot chocolate yesterday even though it was Abuelita who took the order. Such critical knowledge for you to have._

“Hey Buck, here’s your order,” he said as he arrived at the table. “Christopher says hi, by the way. He’s got physical therapy after school so he can’t come by today, he wanted me to relay the message.” 

Buck gave a soft smile and Eddie’s heart thundered while his stomach fluttered. “Tell him I say hi back. He’s such a good kid.”

Eddie’s smile grew. “Yeah, he was really insistent that I make sure to say hello to you when you came in, whenever that was.”

They just stayed there, smiling, focused only on each other, until the woman cleared her throat. They both blinked rapidly before turning, their cheeks a little pink. 

“Hi, I’m Maddie, Buck’s sister,” she said, sticking out her hand to shake his.

“Nice to meet you Maddie.”

“Ooops, sorry,” said Buck. “Should’ve introduced you. And this Chimney, her boyfriend.” Eddie shook the other man’s hand as well, one brow cocked in confusion.. 

“Chimney?” he asked.

The guy - Chimney - chuckled a little.“I’m a firefighter. My real name’s Howie but everyone on my team calls me Chim.” 

Eddie nodded, still somewhat confused, but the guy seemed cool. “Well, I’ll just, uh…” he hesitated, not wanting to leave until he made sure Buck read the sticky note on the cup. But also wanting to leave and be nowhere near here when he did. “I’ll be behind the counter if you guys need anything else.”

“Thanks, Eddie,” Buck nodded, and gave him one of those damn smiles. 

The three of them chatted for about an hour before leaving. As they walked out, Maddie came up to the counter, holding a sticky note. _God DAMN it, again?_

“Hey Eddie,” she said.  
“Hi Maddie,” he said, rolling his eyes at himself. “That wasn’t-”

“Meant for me, I figured. _Your latte matches your hair color. I tried to make it just as pretty as your hair but I don’t think that’s possible?_ ” she read. “A latte definitely does not match my hair. The chai was for me, by the way. He wanted the Mexican hot chocolate again, said he had it yesterday and it was fantastic.”

Eddie groaned. “The first thing I noticed,” _besides for how hot he is_ , “is that he never orders the same thing, and today he does?”

Maddie laughed and patted his arm. “My brother is an oblivious idiot sometimes. The note was cute, but maybe just ask him out?”

Eddie shrugged. “Didn’t know if I could, you know? Didn’t know if he swung that way, and there’s less obvious rejection this way.”

“Well, he definitely likes you Eddie. Go for it, okay? You seem like you’d be good for him."

**

+1

“Good morning Buck, working from here today?” Eddie asked him as he came up to the counter, work bag in hand. 

Buck smiled. “Yes, work never stops, even on Sunday. Is Chris around today?”

Just then he felt a hug from behind and laughed. “Hey buddy, I guess that answers my question.”

“Hi Buck! I know you have to work, but can I hang out with you while you do? I have homework for tomorrow anyway, we could both work!”

Buck smiled down at Chris. Man, he loved this kid. He crouched so he could be on Chris’ level.

“Absolutely. Why don’t you get us a good table? I’ll get coffee and cookies. Do you want hot chocolate?”

“Yes, please.” 

Buck laughed. “Alright. Let me get the okay from your dad.” He looked up at Eddie questioningly. 

“Please Daddy, can we have cookies and hot chocolate?” Chris said sweetly. 

“Yeah, Eddie, please?” Buck looked up through his lashes, fluttered them, and gave his best puppy pout. 

Eddie blushed and Buck grinned. 

With a dramatic roll of his eyes Eddie relented. “You two together are lethal. Sure. Here, Chris, take the cookies.” He put two giant chocolate chip cookies on a plate and handed it to Chris, who took them to a table by the window. 

“And what are we drinking today, Buck?”

“Hmmm...let’s go back to the mocha latte. I recall them being Shannon’s favorite?” The blonde tilted his head to the side slightly, eyelashes still fluttering a little. “It was really good.”

Eddie flushed. “Actually, they’re my favorite, not Shannon’s.”

Buck looked at him in shock. “You wrote that note?” Eddie nodded. “For me?” 

Eddie raised a brow. “Yes, Buck for you.”

Buck swallowed. “And the other notes...they weren’t for Taylor, or Ali?”

“No Buck, they were for you.”

A pause.

“Oh.”

Another customer breezed in and came up to the counter impatiently, cutting off their conversation. 

“I’ll get your drinks in a minute Buck,” said Eddie before turning to take the new man’s order. 

Buck nodded before moving to sit, his mind reeling. Eddie had been flirting with _him_?

He sat, unseeing and unhearing, until a mug was placed in front of him. With a sticky note attached. 

_Buck. This is for you. I think you’re really cute, and you’re amazing with my son. Will you get drinks with me tomorrow night?_

He looked up to see Eddie, sheepish but smiling. “Well?” Eddie asked. 

Buck stood up, heart dancing in his chest. He gazed at Eddie for a beat before glancing at Christopher. “Don’t listen to what I’m about to say kid,”

And pulled Eddie in for a scorching kiss, pleasant tendrils of warmth spreading from his chest to consume him as he registered Eddie’s lips moving with the same passion. A minute passed before he pulled away, one hand sliding to gently grasp the back of Eddie’s neck, lips curling upwards. “Abso-fucking-lutely.”

Eddie laughed, warm eyes glowing with happiness, before pulling him back into the kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think!


End file.
